Shepherd steps up and into Division II
Out there on the perimeter lies the unknown.
What lies in-wait out there is un- known, what will become of the season is unknown and where it’s all leading is unknown.
Heading into the 2020 fall cross country season there’s a lot of unknowns for the Shepherd High School girls cross country team. Firstly, the top concern is will there be a season following last week’s announcement from the MHSAA that pushed football back from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021?
Will cross country, volleyball, soccer, golf and tennis meet an equal fate?
Secondly, there’s supposed to be a big announcement coming from the MHSAA this week that could directly affect all the aforementioned in the state of Michigan going forward.
Then you hear this person talking about postponing the start of the season till mid-september and another saying the season should be permanently cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and another person saying everything is fine and get on with the meets already.
At the end of the day though all the rhetoric is exactly that. It has no bearing on anything.
As far as the Blue Jays are concerned, well, they’re ready to get the season going after an excellent summer of preparation. They’re controlling what they can control and putting in the work to be primed once the season hopefully starts.
One year ago, Carey Hammel and company finished runner-up in Division 3 from Michigan International Speedway, falling only to state champion Hart.
Thus, with six of its top seven runners returning this fall, the Jays should be primed for a run at the state title right?
Well, that’s where another unknown comes into play.
As it stands Shepherd moved up to Division 2 this fall, which means it will have to compete against schools twice its size. With about 470 students total Shepherd made the Division 2 cutline by less than five students, thusly it will be one of the smallest schools competing in D2.
Over the span of the last decade Shepherd had become a constant state-title contender in Division 3 as it won the state title in 2013 and finished in the top-10 at the finals nine times.
Now, Hammel and company, are off to a new Division where the competition is better.
So, what do you do? Do you fear the unknown or do you embrace it?
“It’s going to be quite a bit tougher than D3,” said Hammel, who has led the Jays to 10-straight conference titles and a ton of success over the past decade. “I think it’s a challenge that we’re ready for. We have a ton of kids back and we have a lot of experience.
The challenge is to see what we can do?”
On paper Petoskey and East Grand Rapids are both dynamite heading into the regular season. Had Shepherd remained in D3 it would be an instant contender, but now it’s an underdog and that’s a great role for a hungry team.
“Anytime you finish second in the state and return six of your top-seven runners you’re going to be excited,” said Hammel. “We have the potential to be very, very good and have a break-out season. It’s going to be exciting.”
One year ago Madde Skeel and Ariel Warner both earned All-state honors via top-30 finishes at the finals. They both return.
Add to the mix Amelia Gouin, Carly Judge, Lilly Bailey and Maddie Beltinck and you have the makings of something special. Gouin and Judge finished 35th and 37th respectively at the finals in 2019, thus both are close to earning All-state honors.
In the end the fall of 2020 is offering up something new for the Jays the likes they haven’t seen before.
What they do with it awaits to be seen and will be interesting to watch unfold.